About Vonnie

Vonnie Zullo is originally from Gettysburg. Her father, Chet Small, started a Civil War artifact business, The Horse Soldier, in their home on the battlefield in 1971. The internationally-known business celebrates its 40th year of business in 2011. Vonnie researches the numerous Civil War artifacts identified to an individual soldier or unit that are for sale at The Horse Soldier.

Vonnie Zullo has over 20 years experience researching historic documents at the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Her thorough knowledge of researching genealogy and family history in the extensive record groups at the National Archives include military service records, federal pension files and regimental histories. In addition she’s has extensive experience in court martial case files, ordnance records, military medals & citations, federal censuses, immigration & naturalization records, colonial documents and American Indian records. In particular, her expertise on the subject of military personnel records is largely unsurpassed. She can research soldiers who served anytime from the Revolutionary War to just before the start of WWI.

Library of Congress: Vonnie has a thorough understanding of the records at the Library of Congress and has worked on many projects, as varied as finding drafts of the Constitution for the Gilder Lehrman Collection to the history of Bowie Knives for Norm Flayderman’s Book (See below.) For 15 years she worked closely with Tom Liljenquist, researching many of the identified Civil War portraits/images in the Liljenquist Family Collection of 700 portraits recently donated to at the Library of Congress.

She’s done extensive research in many of the Reading Rooms of all three buildings, including the Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building, the Manuscript Reading Room, Newspaper & Current Periodicals, Rare Book & Special Collections, Prints & Photographs, Local History & Genealogy, and Microform.

She has the background and experience, the knowledge, and the attention to detail necessary to work closely with a wide variety of clients. She is known for her exceptional customer service and quality assurance. She is a results oriented, high-energy research professional able to meet deadlines and work on multiple large projects simultaneously.

Vonnie Zullo worked as the sole researcher at the National Archives and the Library of Congress for the 2011 & 2012 seasons of the hit TV show “Who Do You Think You Are?” In her over 20 years of experience other clients include:

Nationally and internationally known authors

Professors and other academia at major universities

Historians at National Parks and Battlefields including Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, Gettysburg National Battlefield and Pamplin Historical Park

Museums and Historic Societies

Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas Texas

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Hundreds of Collectors & Dealers of Military Artifacts, in particular Civil War Artifacts.

Tens of thousands of families seeking genealogical and military history information on their ancestors who served as soldiers.

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Clients Say…

Extensive archival research through the Library of Congress and other governmental and private institutions undertaken by Vonnie Zullo of Fairfax, VA was essential to the completion of many chapters in this work. I will be ever grateful for her constant willingness to accept and fulfill all those many assignments, especially those at the eleventh hour! …her patience and tenacity were beyond the call of duty!”

Norm FlaydermanThe Bowie Knife,Unsheathing an America Legend

recent projects

C.S. 3" Bourreleted Read Common Shell

Here is a very good Confederate 3" 'Virginia pattern', bourreleted Read common percussion shell with its intact sabot. This specimen was found
on the Gettysburg battlefield near the Loop south of the High Water Mark sometime after the fighting. Learn More »